In four of the five seasons Gibson played with the Pioneers -- he red-shirted after his freshman season -- the 6-foot-2 guard from Killingly scored early, often and usually more frequently the more defenders converged on him.

Gibson closed out his senior season by becoming only the fifth Northeast Conference player to eclipse 2,000 career points (2,079) and as SHU's all-time scoring leader at the Division I level. He ranks eighth all-time with the Pioneers.

But Gibson, who plans to try to play professionally now that his college career is over, still wishes he achieved more team glory in his SHU stay. The Pioneers went 1-2 in the postseason during his stay, losing in the 2009 NEC semifinals at Mount St. Mary's in his freshman year and then in the 2012 quarterfinals at Long Island University Brooklyn.

"Definitely, I'd rather win than be good, you know what I'm saying," he said. "I'd rather have some hardware to bring home, but it just didn't happen in my career. Everyone played hard; I can't really fault them for that, the effort. We just didn't have enough firepower, I guess."

With frequent late-night trips to the Pitt Center to hone his craft over the years, Gibson always seemed to have a full offensive arsenal to attack with come game day. He was particularly dangerous from the perimeter, where he made a school-record 286 3-pointers.

"I said right along I wasn't sure who the best scorer I ever coached was, and I think I give the nod to Darrin Robinson," SHU coach Dave Bike said. "But (Shane) is probably the second best scorer we've had."

Robinson, a 6-2 guard from Central High in Bridgeport, played for Bike's D-II Pioneers in the early 1990s.

When pro scouts came out to the Pitt Center for SHU's late November game against Lehigh to check out future NBA draft pick C.J. McCollum, Gibson scored 18 points in an average performance.

Afterward, several scouts said they weren't sure if Gibson could make it at the NBA level since he has shooting guard skills trapped in a point guard-sized body.

"I'm trying to stay here," Gibson said of his professional goal. "I'm going to do everything I can to. I know in the (NBA) you need to make shots and that's what they need you to do. I'm not going to miss.

"If they give me a chance, I will definitely take the opportunity to the max."

Gibson said he planned to finish his classes at Sacred Heart and also devote plenty of time to training for a job at the next level somewhere. In recent years, multiple SHU players have found opportunities to play overseas, including Joey Henley, Drew Shubik, Liam Potter and the late Chauncey Hardy.

Lightly scouted coming out of Killingly, Gibson has already proven once before he can shine when given an opportunity.

"I'm proud of just proving myself in this league," Gibson said about his NEC career. "Proving I belong."